All our courses are engaging, interactive and fun! Whether formal training or simply looking to brush up, we take online learning to the next level.
Sailing EssentialsFreeA free course great for anyone who spends time on the water.
Essential Navigation & SeamanshipRYA course for beginners. Learn charts, tides, pilotage, and core seamanship with simple practice tasks.
Day Skipper TheoryMost PopularRYA course for inshore skippers. Plan day passages using chartwork, tides, weather, and COLREGs.
Coastal Skipper / Yachtmaster® TheoryComing SoonRYA course for advanced navigation and passage planning, secondary ports, tidal streams, and offshore weather.
SRC (VHF) Marine Radio CourseRYA Short Range Certificate radio course. Study online, then take the practical exam with an RYA assessor.Are you looking for something nautical related? Our directory is an extensive list of courses and places associated with the marine industry. Hop over and search now.
We believe every day’s a school day on a boat! That’s why we built Nautical Know-How, dedicated to answering your questions. Even better, if it can’t answer your question immediately, you can request it, and we’ll add it to our knowledge base.
Nautical Terms & TerminologyUnderstanding the language of the marine world is like trying to learn a pirate’s secret code while juggling fish. Let us explain why a sheet isn’t for your bed, why “heave ho” doesn’t mean throw up (most of the time), and why “dead reckoning” is surprisingly less ominous than it sounds.
Why do we have tides?Have you ever wondered what causes the tides? Check out this video, which introduces the forces that create the tides we experience on Earth.
What causes our weather?A video introducing the drivers behind our weather, part of our RYA Day Skipper & RYA Coastal Skipper / Yachtmaster® Offshore theory courses.
Buoyage FlashcardsFlashcards designed to help remember the buoys in the IALA system. If you want to learn them in detail, our module ‘Getting in and out of harbour‘, covers the IALA system and different buoys used.
Interactive Rule Book (COLREGs / IRPCS)Whether you’re a novice sailor or a seasoned skipper, we can help you navigate the IRPCS confidently and clearly. Our easy-to-use, easy-to-understand, plain English rule book with helpful interpretations of what each rule means.
The Salty Sea BlogFrom salty old sea dogs to fresh-faced deckhands, this blog is for anyone who finds peace, adventure, and a bit of mischief on the water. So hoist the main, set your course, and let’s sail into the stories, lessons, and musings that make life on the sea so irresistible.A compartment in which anchor chain is stowed below the windlass or chain pipe. It should allow chain to self-stow as far as practicable and provide drainage, access and a means of securing the bitter end that can be released in an emergency. Wet, muddy chain and restricted access make ventilation, inspection and safe entry…
The seabed material in which an anchor must dig in and resist movement. Mud, sand, gravel, weed, rock and mixed bottoms provide very different holding characteristics, and performance also depends on anchor type, scope and how the anchor is set. Charts, pilotage information and local knowledge help assess a berth, but the vessel’s position must…
The lower junction of an anchor where the shank meets the arms, flukes or main blade structure. On traditional anchors the arms extend from the crown; on modern designs the equivalent structural region supports the blade or fluke geometry and transmits holding loads into the shank. Crown shape can help an anchor roll into its…
The main longitudinal body of an anchor connecting the cable attachment to the crown and flukes. Load from the rode passes through the shank to the anchor’s working parts. Its shape, strength, attachment eye or shackle point and relationship to the flukes influence setting and retrieval. The shank does not normally provide the principal seabed…
A crosspiece on some anchors that turns or holds the anchor so a fluke can engage the seabed. On a traditional stocked anchor it is fitted roughly at right angles to the arms, causing one fluke to present downwards as the anchor lies on the bottom. Some stocks fold or remove for stowage. Many modern…
A mooring buoy connected to a low-impact anchoring system designed to avoid routine chain scouring of sensitive seabed habitat. Designs may use elastic or floating rode sections, helical anchors or other components that keep ground tackle off seagrass, coral or vulnerable substrate while supporting the intended vessel loads. “Eco” does not guarantee zero impact or…
To release slip-rigged mooring lines from aboard so a vessel can leave its berth. The crew lets go one end and retrieves the other as the line runs around the shore fitting. Lines are normally released in a planned order that accounts for wind, current, propeller and thruster effects. A line may fail to run…
Mooring lines arranged so both ends remain aboard and the vessel can release them without shore assistance. A line is passed around a bollard, ring or suitable fitting ashore and returned to the vessel. When departing, one end is released and the other hauled in, allowing the line to slip around the shore fitting. The…
Historically, a port-health document stating that no infectious disease was known to exist at a vessel’s port of departure. A clean bill could support the granting of pratique at the next port, while a foul or suspected bill could lead to quarantine or inspection. Requirements and terminology varied between jurisdictions and periods. Modern health clearance…
The left-hand side of a vessel when facing forward towards the bow. Port and starboard stay fixed to the boat, regardless of which way a person is facing.
If you belive the Earth is flat, you're about to fall of the end...
If you belive the Earth is flat, you're about to fall of the end...
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